United States President-elect Donald Trump has announced plans to deport all illegal immigrants in the United States. He also plans to issue an executive order to end birthright citizenship.
In an interview aired on Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, Trump explained his vision for a full blast crackdown on illegal immigration, which he intends to classify as a national emergency if he assumes office on January 20.
According to Reuters, the Department of Homeland Security said that as at January 2022, over 11 million people are in the US without legal status.
It added that the number might have exceeded the figure.
While insisting on removing all unauthorized immigrants, Trump said: “I think you have to do it. It’s a very tough thing to do. You know, you have rules, regulations, laws.”
While also stressing enforcement, Trump signaled willingness to negotiate protections for “Dreamers,” immigrants brought to the US illegally as children.
During his first term, he attempted to dismantle the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme, which provides deportation relief to this group, but was blocked by the Supreme Court.
The policy, which grants citizenship to anyone born on US soil regardless of their parents’ immigration status, is rooted in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution and reinforced by an 1898 Supreme Court decision.
“We’ll maybe have to go back to the people,” he said.
Trump acknowledged potential legal challenges to his proposal and suggested that achieving this goal might require a constitutional amendment.
The implementation of the measures would demand substantial financial resources.
The American Immigration Council estimates the cost of deporting all unauthorized immigrants at $88 billion annually. Trump’s team, including incoming border czar Tom Homan, has called on Congress to provide significant funding increases to support immigration enforcement efforts.
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